The Swan Princess
by Rosie Pevensie
Summary: Post Prince Caspian. The Telmarines were defeated, the Narnian's won and the war is over, but Peter hatches a plan involving a beautiful princess of Archenland and his younger brother to ensure that Narnia stays at peace. EdmundXOC minor CaspianXSusan
1. Prologue A Kingdom at Peace

**Ok so this is my first ever fanfic and the idea just sort of popped into my head one day. It's quite like the swan princess story but set in Narnia and with slightly different characters but it's the same basic principle. I really have no idea what you will think of this so please just give it a try but be nice :) hope you enjoy :)**

**Have just done a few name changes thanks to a very helpful review and I hope they fit the story better but if not let me know :)**

**Disclaimer – I own nothing**

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Prologue ~ A Kingdom at Peace

King Hashim of Archenland was loved by his people. He and his Queen Arelia lived in the spectacular Palace of Anvard, the capital city of Archenland and they ruled their kingdom with great pride and dignity. They were very happy, however there was only one thing missing, they had no child to inherit the throne from them.

This became the cause of much concern among the courts of Archenland. Many people feared what would happen to the kingdom after the king and queen were gone, they were no longer young anymore. However, this problem was solved one joyous day when the queen discovered that she was with child. The whole kingdom celebrated the news and King Hashim was delighted.

Nine months later, the queen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Unfortunately, the queen only had enough time to name her before she passed away. The king was at a loss, he was desperately heartbroken because he had lost his beloved wife, but he was also elated because now he had a beautiful daughter who he would be able to take care of and watch her grow up. The kingdom mourned the loss of their queen but the people were also jubilant at the news of their new princess, who had been named by her mother, Danika.

While the princess was still an infant, a terrible plot to overthrow the king was discovered. The evil sorcerer Jaromir was preparing to take Archenland for his own by means of dark magic which he had discovered and intended to use to kill the king and rule Archenland as a dictator using his newfound power to maintain control of the people.

Fortunately, the night before Jaromir was planning to attack, the king's most faithful soldiers found Jaromir and imprisoned him. Many people called for the sorcerer's death, but the king merely decided to banish him. The king and his soldiers took Jaromir to the southern borders of Archenland and released him, but the sorcerer wouldn't be dismissed so easily,

"I'm not nearly finished with you yet, Hashim," Jaromir spat, "someday I will get my powers back, and when I do, Archenland, along with everything else that you own, and everything that you love, will be mine." And with that, the sorcerer fled from the kingdom, never to be seen again. Many people feared that King Hashim was too kind and that it would be his downfall, but in time the threat was forgotten because the people of Archenland were now at peace once more.

Many years later, Archenland was still a joyful kingdom of luscious land and friendly people. The King was growing old now but he was sustained by his beloved daughter, Danika, who grew more beautiful each day. She had long wavy golden hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled when she smiled. Hashim was reminded so painfully of her mother, his beloved wife, when he looked at his daughter that he sometimes had to remind himself that his wife would not want him to mourn her forever and that she would be proud of him and their daughter.

Danika was a very lively child while she was growing up. She loved being active and running around and playing with the other young children of the court. She could be a bit of a tomboy sometimes but she also loved attending balls and grand parties and dressing up and looking nice. Danika was very intelligent but also very creative. She was a very well rounded girl and her father was very proud of her.

'She will make a fine wife someday' thought her father, but his heart constricted when he realised that this day would come sooner rather than later. The King was growing old and he wouldn't be around to protect his daughter forever. Danika would have to be married before he died, to someone who would be a suitable King of Archenland to rule alongside her. Hashim wanted nothing more than for his daughter to be happy and well provided for. The King then decided to make it his sole purpose to find his daughter a husband who would make a good king but more importantly treat his daughter well and make her happy.

**So what do you think? Feel free to review and tell me if you think I'm wasting my time :) Flames are welcome and will be read but will probably be ignored since I live by the principles that if you don't like it don't read it, but constructive criticism is most welcome :)**

**I will post the next chapter as soon as I have at least one review so that I know that at least one person is enjoying this :)**

**x x x **


	2. Chapter One A Fanciful Idea

Chapter One ~ A Fanciful Idea

As the years went by, Danika grew into a lovely, spirited young woman and many young men were enchanted by her. Her father referred to her as 'Dani' when she was older but now he only did it during moments of closeness between them because Danika didn't really like it but allowed him to do so simply because it stuck with her and reminded her of when she was younger. She was a bright girl but she enjoyed being creative more. Her favourite activities were drawing, playing the piano or reading books. Danika loved stories and had almost made her way through the entire library of Anvard Palace by the time she turned ten.

However, her favourite stories were always those that her father used to tell her when she was younger, about the Golden Age of Narnia and the Kings and Queens of old. These stories fascinated the young princess to no end. She loved to hear of how Queen Lucy saved many men upon the battle fields with a magical cordial that had been given to her by Father Christmas, and how Queen Susan was the most renowned archer in all the land, and how King Peter was knighted by Aslan himself. But her favourite stories had always been the one about King Edmund and how he was tricked by the white witch into turning against his family, but he was rescued and helped the to defeat her. The stories of the Just King had intrigued her the most.

This was the cause of the princess's delight and awe when, shortly after her twelfth birthday, news reached Archenland that the Kings and Queens of old had returned and helped Caspian X to rescue Narnia from the cruel clutches of the Telmarines. Messengers arrived with stories of a great battle which Danika had asked them to repeat to her several times. They told her of how King Peter had challenged Miraz to a duel and the Magnificent King had won but the treachery of the Telmarines had caused a battle to ensue. The Narnian revolutionaries had managed to defeat the Telmarines with the help if Aslan summoning the river god to destroy them all.

The princess was utterly spellbound and even more so when her father received an invitation to the coronation of Caspian X who was to be the new High King of Narnia. Danika had begged and pleaded with her father to take her with him but he refused, saying that she was far too young to travel all the way to Narnia and there would be a lot of talk about politics and he didn't want her to be involved at such a tender age.

After many heated discussions, early bedtimes and being confined to her room, Danika finally gave in and allowed her father to go to Narnia without her. On the morning of his departure, the princess made her way down to the courtyard to bid farewell to her father.

"I will only be gone for a few weeks, you probably won't even miss me," the king said with a smile as he scooped his beloved daughter up into his arms.

"Of course I will miss you father," Danika replied with a similar smile, "promise that you will tell me about everything when you get back."

"I promise," Hashim kissed her on the forehead, "goodbye, Dani"

"Goodbye father. I love you."

"And I love you, sweetheart"

When King Hashim arrived at Cair Paravel about a week later, it was late at night so he was shown to his guest chambers where his servants unpacked and he settled down for the night. The next morning, the King woke and dressed then was shown down to the Great Hall where a breakfast feast was being held for the Kings and Queens of Narnia and all the other monarchs who had arrived for the coronation ball.

As Hashim entered the Great Hall he was shown immediately to the high table where he was formally introduced to the Kings and Queens.

"It is an honor to meet you, your majesties" Hashim bowed politely. The Kings and Queens nodded their heads in reply and offered him their welcomes and deepest respects.

King Caspian was sat in the middle on the grandest throne, since he was to be crowned high king that very evening. He was tall, well built and very handsome with wavy brown hair that reached just above his shoulders and dark chocolate brown eyes. Hashim had heard rumours of his rebellion and was started to see that Caspian was much younger than he had anticipated.

On Caspian's left sat King Peter. Hashim now understood why they called him Magnificent. He had an air about him that suggested great understanding and authority, and left no doubt in Hashim's mind that this boy was definitely a more than suitable king of Narnia. His golden hair and sea blue eyes set him apart from the other kings and made him all the more majestic.

Next to Peter sat the youngest of the Queens, Lucy. She was very young and it was easy to tell from her pretty green eyes and light brown hear that flattered her facial features that she would be a beauty as she grew older. She was obviously wise beyond her years but still had a sense of childishness about her, made obvious by her cheeky smile.

On Caspian's other side sat Queen Susan. Rumours of her astonishing beauty had been true. Her sparkling blue eyes and dark curly hair were a stunning contrast against her pale skin and she held herself in a very queenly manner. Hashim knew that she was still unmarried but doubted that she would remain so for much longer, especially considering how close she was sat to Caspian and how they kept exchanging secret smiles when they thought no one else was watching.

Next to Susan sat the last monarch, King Edmund. The boy was tall and slender with unruly dark brown, almost black hair and big, brown eyes. He seemed somewhat solemn but extended his greeting to Hashim with a cheerful smile. He certainly was the most mysterious of the monarchs.

"King Hashim, I do hope you are enjoying your stay so far?" enquired Caspian

"Of course your majesty. Narnia truly is a magical place, and I look forward to tonight's festivities with great anticipation," replied Hashim.

"Oh, I think we all do," said Edmund with a cheeky grin. Obviously the young King was looking forward to the celebration, thought Hashim.

"Hashim, if it pleases you, we must talk politics later. I have had many dealing with Archenland in the past and I am anxious to learn of its welfare. Would you humour me?" asked Peter.

"I would be glad to your majesty" replied Hashim with a smile.

"Excellent. Well then don't let us keep you from the feast, enjoy my friend," Peter then began to pile food onto his plate whilst the other kings and the youngest queen laughed at him and Susan looked on half disgusted, half amused.

"Thank you your majesties" and with that, Hashim made his way to a table and sat down to eat his breakfast. 'Danika will be consumed with jealousy when I tell her who I just met' thought the king with a chuckle as he tucked in to his food.

After breakfast, Hashim returned to his chambers to change into something more suitable for the coronation ceremony. Later that morning, as escort was sent to Hashim to lead him down to the great hall where he was seated near the front with all the other monarchs. The hall had been decorated in red and gold and many people had come to the castle to witness the crowning of the new king.

It was a spectacular event and none other than Aslan himself was seated at the front of the hall to crown the new king. The queens entered first followed by the two kings and then Caspian. When they reached the front of the hall, the Pevensie's were seated whilst Caspian knelt before Aslan.

The great lion spoke to the assembly of the hardships of leading and of how only a select few are destined to rule and how he truly believed that Caspian has the makings of a great king. Caspian seemed highly embarrassed but all of the Pevensie's, including Peter, and a lot of the assembly nodded their heads in approval. Then Aslan beckoned to Peter who stepped forwards and lifted the crown from its resting place.

"I crown you Caspian the Tenth, King of Narnia" declared Aslan, and then he motioned to Peter who placed the crown carefully upon Caspian's dark hair. Then Caspian rose and turned around to face his people who were cheering for him. He held up a hand to silence them.

"I thank you may friends. Although I have to say that I would not have been able to achieve any of this without your help and most especially without the help of the kings and queens of old" Caspian beamed at the Pevensie's and the hall erupted into applause again.

"Therefore it gives me great pleasure to announce that the great lion Aslan himself has promised that the kings and queens shall be able to live out their days in Narnia, and it would be my great pleasure to have them stay here in Cair Paravel and help me to rule over Narnia…that is if they will accept?"

The Pevensie's looked at each other and then at Aslan who gave them a slight nod, then they looked back at Caspian.

"Of course we do!" exclaimed Susan who ran to Caspian and threw her arms around his neck, shortly flowed by the other Pevensie's who joined in the hug, not caring that their displays of emotion may be inappropriate, especially since Aslan himself was present. They were a family now. The assembly began to cheer for their monarchs again and Hashim clapped along with the assembly ecstatic that he had just witnessed an event that would go down in history; a new age of Narnia had begun.

After the ceremony, Hashim departed the great hall and spent the rest of the day exploring the grounds of Cair Paravel and conversing with the other monarchs until the late afternoon when her retired to his guest chambers to rest before the evenings celebrations. He woke in the early evening and was just finishing dressing when an escort arrived to take him to the Great Hall where he was formally introduced again and then allowed to mingle with the crowd.

The ball had just begun and people were still arriving. There were many other monarchs there but there were also many people from Narnia. These included the Telmarines who had now become a part of the Narnian population, but there were also fauns and centaurs and dryads, talking animals and many other wonderful creatures that Hashim had only ever read about in books and now here he was conversing and dancing and laughing with them. This was truly extraordinary.

The celebrations became more jubilant as the night went on and after a while Hashim had to sit down and rest. He had only been alone for a few moments when he was approached by King Peter, holding a half full glass of wine, his crown askew and his hair slightly messed up from all the dancing.

"Ah, Hashim, I was hoping to run into you, I was hoping we could discuss that matter I mentioned to you at breakfast?" enquired Peter.

"Of course your majesty. I was just hoping for a break from all the merriment. I am not as young as I used to be" said Hashim with a slight laugh.

"Well perhaps not, but I trust you are enjoying the celebrations?" asked Peter with a slight frown.

"Oh yes, very much your majesty. Though I daresay not as much as your siblings" replied Hashim with a wide smile.

Peter glanced around to see Susan dancing with Caspian, smiling and laughing joyously. Edmund was occupied with a group of Faun and Telmarine girls who insisted that he danced with them and told them stories of the Golden Age, he looked like he was enjoying the attention, and Lucy was conversing with a group of girls her own age, looking happier than Peter had seen her in a long time.

"Yes well they always were the life and soul of all the parties and I think we all are very happy to be back here in Narnia," Peter said almost to himself, with an absent minded smile. "Do you have any family, Hashim?"

"Yes, my daughter, Danika. She'll be nearly thirteen. I would have brought her with me but she is still so young and I didn't want her to be involved in all the politics that is going on. Although she would have loved to see Narnia."

"Of course. My brother is just thirteen and he worries me all the time" Peter said whilst watching his brother being admired by the young ladies around him. "Well perhaps you could bring her for a visit sometime?"

"Yes I don't think I will be able to refuse her for much longer" laughed Hashim. Peter chuckled in response but was still preoccupied watching Ed. Suddenly, he was struck by an idea.

"You know Hashim, Narnia and Archenland have had many dealings in the past, perhaps some sort of , well, union, between out two countries would help to strengthen our relationship and hopefully set a good example for other countries. I don't now about you but I have seen enough war to last two life times." Hashim didn't quite understand what Peter was proposing.

"A union? Like, like a marriage?" Hashim furrowed his brow and followed Peter's gaze to the youngest King of Narnia.

"Yes, like a marriage" Peter confirmed. Comprehension suddenly dawned on Hashim's face as he realised what the Magnificent King was proposing and he decided to let him know his feelings on the matter right away.

"Now, look here King Peter, I love my daughter very much and I would never force her to do anything that she didn't want to do. An arranged marriage would break her heart. I couldn't bring that upon her, she is all I have," Hashim explained desperately.

"Oh, I beg your pardon Hashim, I was certainly not suggesting that. I too love my brother very much and not only would I not want to force him to do anything he didn't want to but I doubt that I could without ending up severely injured," Peter said with an amused smile which was returned by Hashim. "I was merely suggesting that perhaps if your daughter and my brother were to meet, well hopefully they will make the decision on their own."

"You mean that you think there is a chance that they might fall in love?" Hashim was surprised at the Kings optimism. He knew that his daughter would not be one to lightly give her heart away, and from what he had seen of King Edmund, he seemed much too solemn and private to do the same.

"Is it not worth a try? You said yourself that you wanted to bring your daughter here so she would have to meet my brother and perhaps you and I could give them a push in the right direction, but neither of them will be forced to do anything." Peter realised that perhaps he was being far too pushy, but he was just trying to do the right thing. He had had enough of war and a union between Narnia and Archenland would strengthen political relations, and since Danika was the only heir to the throne and Edmund was about her age, it just made sense. It's not as if he was dragging them both down the aisle!

Hashim was deep in thought. This did sound like a reasonable idea but would it work? He would never force his daughter to do anything and he could tell that King Peter loved his brother too much to do that to him, so his intentions were pure.

"Well this is a fanciful idea, but I suppose it is worth a try and Danika does want to see Narnia so badly. When should I bring her?" Peter beamed at the king. Hopefully if this idea worked his family would be safe and happy for the rest of their wonderful lives in Narnia.

**Hope you're enjoying this so far. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism more than welcome as always :) x x x**


	3. Chapter Two The First Summer

Chapter Two ~ The First Summer

Edmund was not amused. He was currently in his room trying to prepare himself for the calamity befalling him that should be arriving at Cair Paravel some time later that day. Peter had informed him about a week ago that the King of Archenland was coming to Cair Paravel for a visit and that he was bringing his daughter with him. Normally Edmund wouldn't have minded meeting the princess but then Peter had informed him that he had volunteered Edmund to be the princess's personal escort for the duration of the visit.

Edmund normally wouldn't have minded spending time with the princess, but only at formal occasions and gatherings. He didn't see why he should have to put up with her in his own home and give up his own time to show her around and keep her company. Edmund had convinced himself that she would be exactly like all the other princesses he had met, quite feminine, slightly stuck-up, giggly and extremely vain. Edmund enjoyed spending time with these girls at formal events since they gave him a lot of attention but he imagined that they were quite high maintenance and would be a nightmare to live with.

Edmund had never lived with girls like this before. His sisters were very beautiful and could be quite feminine but they had never been vain or excessively girly. Also, Edmund was still at the stage in his life where he still didn't quite understand the female species. He saw couples like Susan and Caspian and he supposed it looked nice but he didn't quite understand why.

Edmund shook his head. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions too quickly. He knew he shouldn't judge the princess before he'd had a chance to meet her but it was just too easy. He could be very wrong and the princess could be very lovely and perhaps they could become friends or even best friends, and maybe one day they might evenfall in love. Edmund snorted and began to laugh at that last thought. Who was he trying to fool; this princess would be just like all the others. He was sure of it.

It was the first day of July and about two months had passed since Caspian's coronation and Narnia had never been a more glorious country. Apart from a few minor disputes that were dealt with immediately, everything was as it should be; peaceful and happy. Once Edmund was dressed, he made his way down to the great hall where breakfast was being served. As he entered he saw his siblings already sat around the table waiting for him.

"Morning Ed. Are you prepared for the arrival of our guests later today?" asked Peter obviously amused by the situation he had placed his brother in.

"Of course" replied Edmund through gritted teeth, "How long are they staying for exactly?"

"Oh, about a month, perhaps more" replied Peter absentmindedly whilst concentrating on his breakfast. Edmund sighed. He would have to waste almost his entire summer with this girl. What on earth had he done to deserve this? He had to find a way out of it, or at least to lessen the burden.

"Peter, I've been thinking, if I spend all my time babysitting this princess then when will I have time to carry out my duties as a King of Narnia?" Edmund was desperate; he would rather work than spend his whole summer with a girl he knew nothing about.

"Edmund please don't talk about the princess like that. Hashim is a good friend of Narnia and you won't be babysitting her, you will merely be extending a hand of friendship by offering to show her around. You never know, you might find that you enjoy her company," Susan said calmly, a small smile formed on her lips and her eyes sparkled. Peter glanced at Edmunds to see a look of disgust settle on the younger king's face.

"Not likely, especially if she's anything like the other girls I have to endure at all the formal social events and stuff like that," Edmund defended himself. Caspian let out a chuckle.

"Its funny how you complain about it now, yet you seem to enjoy their attentions at the time," everyone except Edmund let out a stifled laugh at Caspian's observation but Edmund let out a groan at his families mocking expressions and rested his head on the table. Lucy felt that she needed to help her brother, seeing that he seemed so miserable about the situation.

"Oh cheer up Ed. If you're really going to be that depressed about it, then I suppose I can help you. I can entertain the princess for a while so you don't have to give up all your time. Besides it will be nice for me to have another girl in the castle since Susan is so _preoccupied_ a lot of the time now!" Lucy looked pointedly at Caspian who gave her a sheepish grin whilst Susan giggled next to him.

"Really Lu? Oh, thank you so much! I owe you one. Seriously if you ever need me to do anything ever again, it's done!" Edmund was so grateful for his sister at that moment.

"No problem Ed. Although I might take you up on that offer next time I have no one to go to the market with." Lucy said with a mischievous grin and Edmund cringed when he realised what he had let himself in for, but he would worry about that later, for now he was content with the knowledge that he wouldn't have to spend his whole summer with the princess, so he sat back up to enjoy his breakfast.

Meanwhile, the object of Edmunds troubles was sat next to her father in the royal carriage on her way to Cair Paravel. King Hashim was nervous. Since his last meeting with the Kings and Queens of Narnia, he had been feeling a slight twinge of guilt in the back of his mind, and he knew that it was caused by his discussion with King Peter.

When Hashim was younger, his older sister, Ramira, had been forced into an arranged marriage by his father. Hashim's father had not been a cruel man, but he had thought that and arranged marriage would be best for everyone. However, the look on his sister's face the day she was married and forced to leave Archenland was burned into Hashim's mind, tormenting him when he thought about what King Peter had suggested.

Hashim knew that King Peter had a good heart and had no intention whatsoever of forcing anyone to do anything, and neither did he. Hashim supposed it wasn't the thought of his daughter having an arranged marriage that made him nervous, King Edmund seemed like a fine young man. He was scared of losing his daughter. He loved her dearly and she was all he had left in the world, the only thing that truly mattered to him was her safety and happiness.

Hashim looked across the carriage at Danika. She was staring out of the window, her golden hair catching the morning sun, lost deep in thought. She looked so much like her mother. He suddenly had an urge to tell her everything, but then had second thoughts. She might be angry with him for even considering it, and besides, if she and King Edmund didn't get along then neither of them would ever have to know anything about it.

"What are you thinking about, daughter?" Hashim asked, already knowing the answer. Danika turned to look at her father and gave him a bright smile.

"I'm just wondering what living at Cair Paravel will be like." Replied Danika breathlessly, "what was it like when you stayed there, father?"

"Well, we will be there soon and then you will be able to see for yourself." Hashim said with a twinkling smile. He decided to leave his daughter in suspense for a while longer. It would only heighten her enjoyment and surprise when they arrived which would only be a few more hours.

Danika smiled but sighed dejectedly at her father's playfulness and returned to staring aimlessly out the window. It was the morning of the fifth day of traveling now, and Danika had been told that they would arrive in Cair Paravel later that day, and that they would be staying for at least a month. They had been traveling through Narnia for about three days now and Danika had already fallen in love with the country.

Archenland was a mountainous country; completely different to Narnia which was beautiful and green with huge plains of grass and dense forests. There was something very magical about the way the leaves on the trees and flowers in the grass fluttered in the breeze, and the sound of a clear stream trickling over the rocks on the waterbed. Danika was completely entranced.

Then her thoughts returned to their imminent arrival and she became slightly nervous again. She was so looking forward to seeing the castle, for she had heard many stories of what a beautiful sight it was, standing alone on the edge of a cliff facing out toward the great eastern ocean. However, what Danika was nervous about was meeting the monarchs of Narnia.

She had heard so much about them and admired them so, what if they didn't approve of her or she didn't live up to their standards. These thoughts plagued the princess's mind until she decided that there would be nothing she could do, she would just have to be herself and hope that they grew to like her, and if that didn't work, she was sure she could invent perfectly good excuses to sneak off and make herself scarce, Narnia seemed like a big enough country to hide from five monarchs in.

A few hours later, the Kings and Queens of Narnia were stood out in the courtyard of Cair Paravel awaiting their guests. They were all dressed formally and felt slightly awkward and uncomfortable in the summer heat. Susan and Lucy were excited about meeting the princess and having another girl in the castle to talk to, Caspian and Peter were discussing some minor political issue and Edmund was standing slightly behind them all, trying his best to make himself invisible since he still wasn't happy about his predicament.

A few minutes later, and a guard of soldiers and horses came into view followed by a grand carriage. The Kings and Queens quickly straightened themselves up and put on their best welcoming faces, which in Edmunds case turned out to be a slight grimace. The carriage stopped in front of the monarchs and one of the soldiers hurried forward to open the door and extended his hand to help the passengers out. King Hashim emerged smiling from the carriage and stepped down to be welcomed by a firm handshake and a warm welcome from Peter since he was the monarch with which Hashim was the most acquainted.

Edmund was watching the Kings converse when something caught his eye. A girl had just stepped out of the carriage behind King Hashim. She looked to be about his age and she was quite petite and had bright blue eyes and very pretty features framed by long wavy golden hair. Edmund suddenly felt a slight twinge in the pit of his stomach but dismissed it quickly as hunger, since he was hungry most of the time anyway. He watched the girl as she was introduced to his brothers and sisters.

"Your majesties, this is my daughter, Danika." Hashim motioned to the girl. Danika gave a polite curtsey and Susan and Lucy beamed and nodded their heads while Peter and Caspian kissed her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." said Lucy as she shook the princess's hand.

"No the pleasure is all mine your majesty" replied Danika as she greeted each of the monarchs in turn, then her eyes came to rest on Edmund who she realised hadn't moved an inch since she arrived. He looked about the same age as her but he was slightly taller than her. He was quite thin with messy brown hair and big brown eyes.

Edmund was startled when he snapped out of his trance-like state and realised that the princess was looking at him. Susan gave him a subtle prod in the ribs and when he looked her she tilted her head pointedly towards the princess to try to get him to remember his manners. Edmund put on his most charming smile and turned to look back at the princess.

"Pleased to meet you Princess." said Edmund through slightly gritted teeth. Danika was slightly shocked at the Kings subtle hostility since she had no idea what she had done to deserve it, but nevertheless, she decided to play his game. She composed herself again and gave him her most sickly sweet smile to match his grimace.

"Pleased to meet you too King Edmund." Susan gave Edmund another prod in the ribs and he stepped forward, took her hand and lightly kissed it, his hand lingering over hers for just a second too long, which made Danika very confused. Peter and Hashim watched the exchange between the two young royals with much anticipation, until Caspian saw Lucy looking slightly red and suggested that they should go inside to escape the heat.

The monarchs chatted as they walked to the great hall where a late lunch was already laid out waiting for them. Peter and Hashim were walking in front of the group so Edmund had somehow managed to end up walking at the back next to Danika. Edmund wanted to talk to her but he didn't really know what to say, and considering the look she gave him just now, it was obvious that she didn't like him. Little did he know that she was thinking exactly the same thing.

When they arrived at the great hall, Edmund again ended up sitting next to Danika. The silence was very awkward so Edmund decided to try to join in with the other conversations that were taking place around the table. Peter, Caspian and Hashim were still discussing politics. Edmund knew that as a King of Narnia, politics was an important part of his duties, but that didn't mean that he had to like it so he avoided it when he could. He gave up and decided to concentrate on his food instead.

Danika had also decided to concentrate on her food when she realised that King Edmund wasn't going to talk to her. She couldn't work out why he had walked next to her or sat with her if he obviously didn't like her, and what right did he have to judge her anyway, especially since they had only met half and hour ago. She decided that she and King Edmund were definitely not going to see eye-to-eye so she should try to distance herself from him as much as possible to avoid any embarrassment. Lucy thought that Danika seemed quite quiet so she decided to try to coax the princess out of her shell.

"I'm hope you will enjoy your stay in Narnia, Danika, there is plenty to see and do." Danika looked up from her food to see the youngest queen beaming at her, a smile which she couldn't help but return.

"I'm sure I will, Queen Lucy. It seems very beautiful so far." Danika replied.

"Please call me Lucy, and I'm sure my siblings will say the same thing." Susan nodded next to Lucy, Peter was still in deep discussion with Hashim and Caspian so he didn't hear what Lucy said, but Edmund had obviously heard since he was sat right next to her, but he ignored them. Danika was beginning to get very annoyed with him. She had never met anyone so rude in all her life.

Susan sensing the tension between her younger brother and the princess decided that she would have to think of a way to make them become friends, or at least be civil to each other or it could be a difficult summer for all of them. She could tell that her brother had started the dispute and she would have a talk with him later, but the princess was getting very annoyed with him very fast, and she didn't blame her really. She knew that her brother could be a pain sometimes, but she loved him dearly nonetheless.

"Edmund, after lunch why don't you give the princess a tour of the castle and show her where she will be staying." Susan suggested. Peter had heard this and looked up from his plate. He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of that idea first, but this made him think that Susan knew what his and Hashim's plan was. He would have to talk to her later.

"That a marvelous idea," Peter exclaimed, "How about it Ed?" Edmund was completely deflated. He had hoped that if he kept his distance from the princess he wouldn't be forced to spend time with her, but it looked as if his horrible ordeal was just beginning anyway. All eyes were on him, except for the princess who was furiously staring at her plate, her pale cheeks reddened in embarrassment or anger, Edmund couldn't tell which.

"Yes, that does sound like a good idea. What do you think princess?" Edmund couldn't really refuse the proposal, not with everyone staring at him like that, so he decided to pass the burden onto the princess as well.

Danika looked up shocked at his answer, She was sure he would refuse straight away, but obviously not. What was he trying to do to her? She noticed then that everyone was staring at her now, even Edmund, then she realised why he had asked her opinion on the matter and her dislike for him came rushing back. Two could play this game, she thought.

"I think its wonderful idea. I would like to see _everything_." Danika put great emphasis on the last word and watched the smug smile drop of Edmund's face. Peter and Hashim were delighted, this was exactly what they wanted. Everything seemed to be going well so far.

Edmunds heart sank. She wanted to see _everything_. That would surely take hours, he thought. Well that was the rest of his day gone out the window, he thought to himself. This princess didn't seem at all like the other princesses he had met, she seemed more cunning and feisty. Maybe he was wrong about her, but it was too late to admit that now, he would have to keep an eye on her. It was going to be a very long summer.

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**Sorry about the wait, i struggled a bit on this chapter but i have most of the story properly planned out now so hopefully it won't take me long to update again :)**

**Please review and the next chapter will be up just as soon as i know that at least one person likes this story :) x x x**


	4. Chapter Three An Extended Family

Chapter Three ~ An Extended Family

Several hours after her arrival at Cair Paravel, Danika was strolling around the grounds with none other than King Edmund himself. They had just completed a tour of the castle and Edmund had just finished showing her the courtyard and castle grounds. Danika was completely awestruck. This was truly the most beautiful place she had ever seen. She could probably walk around the castle everyday for the rest of her life and never get bored.

King Edmund didn't talk much. Of course he answered all of her questions but he didn't talk about himself. Consequently, Danika now knew a lot about Narnia and Cair Paravel, particularly about how it was rebuilt after the Narnians defeated the Telmarines, and she also now knew quite a lot about the other monarchs. He also didn't seem to be one to ask questions since he had asked her nothing about herself.

The young royals were now walking silently together side by side around the grounds when Danika realised that she had spent the last few hours in the company of this King and she knew next to nothing about him. She realised that obviously he was a private person, but she decided that since he volunteered to spend time with her he should be willing to converse with her.

"So, your majesty, you have told me many things of your family and your country yet you speak little of yourself." Danika turned to face Edmund with a small smirk on her face. Edmund looked at her with a slightly shocked expression.

"Well, you haven't told me anything about yourself either." Edmund replied feeling indignant towards the girl.

"Well, you didn't ask," replied Danika.

"Neither did you," Edmund was beginning to get annoyed.

"I am asking now, your majesty." Danika found his annoyance slightly amusing tried to lighten the mood again by giving him a joking smile. Edmund found that he couldn't stay annoyed at her as the confusing tingling in his stomach returned. He gave in to her demands.

"Well, what would you like to know?" he enquired. Danika gave him a warm smile and proceeded to ask him slightly more personal questions as the continued on their afternoon stroll

A few hours later and Danika was satisfied that she now knew enough personal information about her tour guide. They had spoken of many things and she found that Edmund was a very pleasant and knowledgeable person who had a lot to talk about. He seemed quite confident but Danika could tell that there was a part of him that he was hiding from her, a slightly more vulnerable side.

Edmund was very pleased to find that Danika was and extremely easy person to talk to, as far as girls go. He had never been able to open up to anyone but his family like this and he found that even after a few hours they had grown very comfortable around each other and he enjoyed her company a lot. Maybe Susan was right, he though to himself.

Danika looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was beginning to set. She shivered as the first cool breeze swept over her bare shoulders. Edmund couldn't help but notice this.

"Are you cold?" he asked, not even bothering to wait for a reply before he removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders. Only after did he realise that this was quite forward of him, but it seemed like the right thing to do, he had read about it in stories, chivalry and all that, and after all he was supposed to be looking after her and he didn't want her to catch a cold on his watch. Danika didn't seem at all taken aback by his actions, if fact she seemed very grateful.

"Thank you" she said as she smiled at him.

"You're welcome" he replied whilst smiling back. Her eyes are very pretty, he thought to himself. Edmund snapped out of his daze and tried to regain his composure.

"We should go back to the castle, they will probably be wondering where we are." Edmund didn't wait fro her reply before turning back towards Cair Paravel and leaving her behind to follow him. Once they were back inside he led her up to her guest chambers in silence and bade her goodnight at the door walking away swiftly.

Danika was confused by his sudden change of mood as she went inside her room and began to change into her nightdress. Edmund was very mysterious and she hoped he would become less so if they were going to have to spend the whole summer together, she thought as she climbed into bed. Tomorrow would be an interesting day. After all, she did always love a good mystery.

After Edmund had taken Danika to her chambers he had gone to say goodnight to his siblings then made his way to his own chambers. He was now lying in bed contemplating the events of the day. For some reason, an image of the princess with whom he was newly acquainted kept playing on his mind and he found that he was looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow. Ed was bemused and, if he was being honest, maybe even a little bit scared at this feeling, but nevertheless, he fell asleep with a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Danika awoke to the sunlight streaming in through the open curtains. She never shut her curtains at night, she loved to fall asleep watching the starts and wake up to the natural light of the sun, it was soothing to her. Danika leapt out of bed feeling rejuvenated and excited about her first full day at Cair Paravel

She wondered over to the wardrobe and began to rifle through the clothes that had been unpacked for her the previous day. She selected a casual floating pale blue dress that complimented her golden hair and blue eyes. Just as she had finished tying the laces there was a knock at the door. Danika went to open it and found the youngest queen, refreshingly bright in the morning, smiling back at her.

"Good morning!" Lucy greeted cheerfully, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, lovely thank you, I feel wonderfully rested, your beds are very comfortable" Danika replied with a giggle, Lucy laughed in reply.

"Yes, I know. I've come to escort you to breakfast, we can't have you getting lost and starving on your very first day here, can we?" Lucy joked. Now it was Danika's turn to laugh.

"No, I suppose not, that would be awfully impolite of you," Danika was beginning to like Lucy very much and could tell that they would be great friends, "Just give me two minutes and I'll be ready."

Both girls went back into Danika's room and Lucy continued chatting you the Princess as she brushed her hair and made herself look more presentable. When she was done, they proceeded down to the dinning hall where breakfast was being served.

"So, did you have a good time with my brother yesterday?" Lucy enquired.

"Oh, yes. He showed me round and we had a nice conversation. I enjoyed his company." For some reason Danika couldn't fight back the strange smile that graced her lips when she said this. Unfortunately Lucy spotted this and gave her a knowing grin.

"What?" Danika asked. She hoped Lucy hadn't guessed her strange feelings for Edmund, she didn't really want anyone else to know until she had figured them out herself.

"Nothing" Lucy replied still smiling at her. The truth was, Lucy had seen the smile on Edmund's face and the strange gleam in his eyes when he had said goodnight to her and it didn't take a genius to work out what had caused it, even if Ed didn't know that himself yet. And now it seemed that this strange was affecting Danika as well. Lucy had a good feeling about this.

Once the girls made it to the dinning hall, they discovered that they were the last ones there. They apologised for being late and took their seats at the table.

"Danika had to make herself look pretty" Lucy looked pointedly at Edmund who glared back at his sister, his ears burning red. Danika looked down at the table in embarrassment, a pink tinge to her cheeks, not noticing Lucy and Edmund's silent battle. The rest of breakfast passed uneventfully. Just as everyone was finishing their food, Hashim turned to Danika.

"What are you planning to do today, my dear?" Hashim asked his daughter. Danika opened her mouth to reply but she was interrupted by Peter.

"How about going to see the market place? You will love it, there are lots of stalls selling dresses and jewellery and things. I'm sure Edmund will be happy to escort you, won't you Ed?" Edmund had been half listening to the conversation and froze with a spoonful of fruit halfway to his mouth at the mention of his name. He looked up to find everyone looking at him and he realised that, once again, he had no choice.

"Of course. I didn't have anything important to do today anyway." He added the last part half sarcastically. It was true he didn't have anything important to do but he was slightly irritated at having to waste another day. This had better not happen all summer. Although, he couldn't help but feel slightly elated when he realised he would get to spend more time alone with the princess. These mixed feelings were starting to get annoying.

"Wonderful, that's settled then." Hashim gave Peter a small knowing smile which the magnificent king returned, unseen by the other people seated around the table. Hashim noticed something different about his daughter when she bade him goodnight yesterday and he wondered if it had something to do with the youngest king. Well, the more time they spend together the better. Everything was going perfectly.

Danika was slightly startled by what just happened. In a matter of a few second she had the rest of her day planned for her and she didn't even have a say in it. This irritated her somewhat, however she was secretly happy at getting to spend more time with King Edmund, but she was somewhat troubled by this realisation. What was wrong with her?

After breakfast Danika returned to her chambers to collect her money bag and cloak then she made her way down to the courtyard where she was to meet Edmund, this was also organized by King Peter and her father at breakfast of course, she was beginning to get suspicious of those two. When Danika arrived at the courtyard, Edmund was already waiting for her. He greeted her with a rather stiff smile but she controlled her emotions and gave him a warm smile in return.

"Are you ready to go?" Edmund asked her.

"As I'll ever be," Danika replied. Edmund gave her a slight nod in return and turned and began to walk down the road towards the market place. This startled Danika and she ran a few steps to catch up with him. They walked in silence for the first few minutes of the journey since none of them knew what to say. Edmund was surprised at how difficult it was to start talking to her again even after last night when they had talked for hours. He supposed that their relationship was cast back into the awkward stage after his brother's antics at breakfast.

"So," Danika soon became tired of the silence and decided to try to start a conversation, however she was at a slight loss for what to say, "do- do you go to the market place often?" Edmund turned to look at her with a slightly surprised look on his face, which soon turned into a smile. He was pleased that she had started a conversation. Perhaps it wouldn't be so difficult after all.

"Not really," He paused for a moment and Danika turned away, disappointed that her efforts seemed to have been shot down by him. However, Edmund was merely pausing to think, but the look on her face did amuse him somewhat, "There aren't many stalls that take my fancy, most of them are selling women's things like clothes and jewellery."

"And which are the stalls that take your fancy?" Danika enquired, pleased that he had decided to continue talking. Edmund was still a mystery to her and she was savouring anything she could find out about him. Edmund gave her another smile and proceeded to tell her about his favourite stalls, mostly ones with books and ancient writings.

They continued talking all the way to the market place and when they arrived, Danika couldn't help but be blown away by all the bright coloured items and artifacts on the stalls. She insisted that Edmund had to take her all around the market, to which Edmund gave a mock groan of annoyance but secretly he was very pleased as this meant he got to spend more time with her.

They spend the rest of the day walking round the market chatting merrily. Danika bought some new jewellery and Edmund bought lots of sweets for them to share. He was very surprised at what a good time he was having. Danika was extremely easy to talk to and their conversations were light but interesting.

Danika was enjoying herself immensely. The market place was very entertaining and there was plenty to see and do. Also, Edmund was becoming more and more relaxed and easier to converse with the more time she spent with him. She found that she was really beginning to enjoy his company.

The sky was beginning to grow dark and Edmund and Danika pulled their cloaks tighter around them as a cool breeze signaling the setting of the sun, washed over them. They gathered their purchases and headed back to the castle. Once inside Edmund took Danika to her chambers and bid her goodbye. He then made his way to his won chambers where took of his cloak and put it away in his wardrobe. All in all it had been and enjoyable day. Perhaps he wouldn't mind spending the rest of the summer like this after all, Edmund thought to himself as he changed for dinner.

The next two months passed without great event. Hashim and Danika settled marvelously well into Cair Paravel and were immensely enjoying their time there. Hashim spend most of his time consorting with the Kings and Queens about political issues or just enjoying the Narnian landscape on horseback, sometimes accompanies by his daughter.

As well as spending time with her father, Danika also spent time with the Kings and Queens and developed strong relationships with each of them. Danika found that Peter was very willing to teach her how to spar with swords and he was sometimes helped by Caspian, whom Danika found in the library one day and began a friendship with him based on books and literature.

Danika also enjoyed spending time with the Queens as well. Susan was also teaching her how to fight, but with a bow and Danika found that the eldest Queen was very easy to talk to. Lucy had become something of a best friend to her, since her love for all things Narnian was very appealing to Danika. She would also spend time with both Queens and the three of them spent far too much time in the Market place, according to the kings.

Danika grew to love the Kings and Queens as if they were her won extended family, but the person who she spent the most time with and who's company she come to value the most was Edmund. They didn't' see each other every day but they did spend most of their free time together. She had grown unexpectedly fond of him in the past few weeks.

They spent most of their time taking walks around the grounds or horseback riding or going on trips to the market place, all the while they would talk about nothing in particular, keeping the conversations fun but nothing too personal had yet been brought up. Danika came to appreciate Edmund as a very good friend.

Edmund had also grown quite attached to Danika. He always looked forward to their time together since for some reason she always managed to put him in a better mood. Sometimes even just thinking about could bring a smile to his face. These strange feeling still unnerved him somewhat, but he was enjoying her company far too much to care anymore.

Danika thought that this may have been the best summer she had ever had and even though there was still so much to look forward to, like Caspian's birthday celebrations, she couldn't help but think that most of the summer was now over. How on earth would she be able to leave Narnia?

**Please forgive the disgustingly long wait in between these chapters, I have been extremely busy since I have exams next week but I decided to take a break from revising and do some writing instead and I've finally managed to finish this chapter. It was a tricky one and I'm not sure about it, but tell me what you think anyway. I'll try my very best to have the next chapter up ASAP but I'm not promising anything. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review :) x x x**


	5. Chapter Four The First Goodbye

**I am unreservedly sorry about the abominably long wait but to make it up to you all this chapter is the longest one yet :) Just a little A/N to clarify the characters ages and birthdays since I'm not sure if they match up with previous chapters in which I may have mentioned their ages but these are their real ages at the moment**

**Caspian – 18 (as of this chapter :))**

**Peter – 17 (November 8****th****)**

**Susan – 16 (February 16****th****) **

**Edmund – 14 (April 5****th****)**

**Danika – 14 (June 12****th****)**

**Lucy – 12 (September 24****th****)**

**Ok, now that is sorted, on with the story :)**

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Chapter Four ~ The First Goodbye

It was the evening of August the 29th and Danika was in her chambers preparing for the celebrations that were to take place that night. It was High King Caspian's 18th birthday and tonight there was to be a grand ball at Cair Paravel to which everyone in Narnia was invited. Danika was very excited since this would be her first Narnian ball and she had heard that they were magnificent events.

Currently she was trying to tie up the laces on the dress she had bought for the occasion. It was a beautiful dress made of the softest royal blue velvet with silver lace around the hem, neckline and sleeves. She had been back to the market place with the two Queens earlier in the week, which is where she found the dress, and Susan and Lucy had insisted that she buy it. In return she helped them to find beautiful dresses as well. Danika was extremely pleased with the dress

Danika was also pleased with her hair, which half of it was done up into an elegant knot and the other half was left naturally wavy to drape down her back. To finish off her look she had simple silver earrings and an elegant silver necklace to compliment the dress and her blue eyes. Danika had to admit that she was very pleased with the way she looked since she felt that she rarely looked this pretty.

Once Danika had managed to secure herself into the dress she looked at herself once more in the long mirror on the wall and once she was satisfied that she looked acceptable, she left the room and made her way down to the great hall where the ball was being held. She no longer needed and escort since she knew her way around the castle fairly well by now, but this meant that she would have to enter the party by herself

This made Danika extremely nervous since she wasn't the most confident person and the though of everyone in the room looking at her as she was formally announced and then had to walk down the stairs…it gave her a severe case of butterflies in her stomach and she resisted the urge to turn around and run back to her room. However she knew that she was being silly and she was a princess after all and she would have to get used to this since she was getting older now. She guessed that soon there would be suitors turning up at her castle in Archenland and asking for her hand in marriage. This thought also made her nervous. She wasn't ready to grow up yet.

Before Danika had time to dwell and more on the subject, she realised that she had arrived at the great hall and was standing in front of the doors. She took a deep breath and walked inside. She had rarely seen so many people in one room in all her life. There had to be hundreds of people in the great hall if not more, and most of them were now looking at her. Danika was only vaguely aware of her name being announced, and she just about remembered to put one foot in front of the other as she started to descend the stairs. She seemed to be caught in some sort of trance, until she got about half way down the stairs and locked eyes with a boy with messy brown hair and big brown eyes.

Edmund had found the party somewhat boring to begin with. The Pevensie's had made their entrances first since Caspian was to make his grand entrance last as it was his birthday and the whole celebration was for him. He had spent the last half and hour greeting monarchs from other countries who had come to celebrate, and his friends from Narnia who he hadn't seen in months.

Edmund was just about to excuse himself to go and get a drink when he spotted a young girl standing at the top of the stairs. She was wearing a dark blue gown and had long wavy blonde hair. It wasn't until her name was announced that he realised that this was Danika. To say he was somewhat shocked would have been an understatement. He had never seen her look so… well, beautiful.

It took Edmund a while to notice how stiffly she was walking and then he realised that this was exactly the kind of social situation that she probably hated and he decided to go to her rescue. He caught her eye and made his way to the bottom of the stairs to offer her his arm as she reached him. She took it with a grateful smile and she smiled back and led her to the refreshment table and got her a drink.

"Thanks for that," said Danika with a breathless sigh, "that was once of the most mortifying things I have ever done!" Edmund gave her an amused laugh.

"Yes, I could tell. You were shaking so much I though you would trip and fall right to the bottom of the stairs, that would have been mortifying," He said with a smile, "that's why I came to your rescue."

"My hero," Danika replied sarcastically to which Edmund gave another laugh and stopped to look at her again. She really did look beautiful tonight and he wasn't sure if he should say so, and if he did, what would he say? This was the kind of social situation Edmund wasn't comfortable in. Unfortunately for him, Danika realised that he was staring at her.

"What's wrong?" She enquired, "Do I have something on my face?" She seemed nervous now, but Edmund smiled at her again.

"No, don't be silly," Then with some hesitation, he said "you look…perfect." Danika looked up at him slightly shocked only to see a faint blush that had crept across his cheeks and intensified the colour of his freckles. She thought he looked rather sweet when he was embarrassed.

Before Danika had time to respond, the sound of trumpets came from the top of the stairs and Caspian's arrival was announced to tumultuous applause and cheering. He made his way swiftly down the stairs and began greeting the people. When he finally made his way to the thrones at the top of the room he took his seat. And the Pevensie's took their places in the thrones next to his. Edmund left Danika at the refreshment table and promptly made his way to the top of the room to his throne when he realised that he was needed.

Caspian made a short speech and thanked everyone for coming and said how honored he was to be able to celebrate his birthday with all of them and his new family. This made Susan and Lucy quite emotional and even Peter seemed to be quite moved, but Edmund spotted Danika in the crowd and pulled a face at her which made her laugh.

Caspian then announced that the dancing was to begin and everyone started to pair off. Danika now felt quite awkward and made her way to the tables where she could sit down away from the dancing, but before she could get there she felt a hand on her arm. She gave a small smile and turned around but it wasn't who she was expecting.

"Would you care to dance?" It was a Telmarine boy, perhaps a year or two older than her, he was quite good looking and she felt she didn't have it in her power to refuse him. She gave him a sweet smile,

"Yes, that would be…nice." Danika felt stupid for saying this. _Nice! Can't you think of some more descriptive adjectives?_ She thought to herself. Sometimes her own mind seemed to annoy her. However, the boy didn't seem phased since he took her hand and lead her to the dance floor.

Danika enjoyed dancing and the boy was a very good dancer and the music was lovely. The boy turned out to be very pleasant and they discussed many things whilst they danced. Eventually after three songs they because tired and decided to part. He thanked her for the dance and kissed her hand before he left. Once again Danika was standing in the middle of the dance floor alone and she decided to make her way back to the seating area, but she was again side tracked by another boy wanting to dance with her.

Edmund was alone at the podium where the thrones sat. Susan and Caspian had gone off together and were currently locked in a loving embrace, dancing near the side of the room, away from most of the other dancers. Peter was deep in discussion of political issues with other monarchs and Lucy had found a group of her faun friends and she was conversing and dancing with them. She looked like she was having a very good time.

Since Edmund was left on his won with little to do, he began to scan the crowd until his eyes cane to rest on a familiar face. He watched as Danika danced with many boys and just as she was about to leave the dance floor, another once would come along and divert her back to dance with him. This happened several times and Edmund found it rather amusing to watch, however, he didn't know why, but he was slightly irritated by the number of men that were watching her. He had to admit that he didn't blame them though, she did look stunning tonight.

After the fifth boy had come and gone, Edmund decided to go to her rescue again. He made his way to her through the crowd and tapped her on the shoulder. He heard her give an exasperated sigh as she turned around, but the look on her face brightened up when she saw it was him.

Danika's feet were now hurting immensely from having danced with five boys in a row, but she had trouble with saying no to people, but that didn't stop her annoyance when she felt another tap on her shoulder. She sighed loudly as she turned around, only to find that it was the one boy whom she had actually wanted to dance with.

"Oh, it's you." Danika gave him a relieved smile. Edmund laughed amusedly

"Yes, it's me, and this is the second time I have rescued you already this evening. I think that you at least owe me a dance now." Edmund gave her a smile that portrayed mock arrogance and she fought back a laugh.

"Don't you think that rescuing me from dancing by asking me to dance is slightly counter-productive?" Danika replied with a half smile and Edmund gave her a confused look.

"I meant that I was rescuing you from all the other boys in the room who want you to dance with them." He said in a quieter voice.

"Oh, well I don't have a problem with them, it's just that my feet are starting to hurt," she replied with a laugh, "Perhaps we could go outside and find somewhere to sit instead?" Edmund looked back up at her, gave her a small smile and offered her his arm again.

"Of course we can." _Anything to keep her away from all the ogling men_ Edmund thought to himself. He had no idea why but he was quite protective over Danika this evening. Perhaps it was because he had come to think of her as another sister. After all they had spent a lot of time together this summer and they had become quite close. _That was it_, Edmund thought, _these are just brotherly instincts._

Peter and Hashim, who had been deep in discussion with several other monarchs, had both noticed the couple leaving the great hall. They turned to look at each other and gave each other knowing smiles; they were both ecstatic that Edmund and Danika had taken to each other so quickly. Their plan was coming together splendidly.

They left the party and found a secluded bench in the castle grounds and they sat down and didn't speak for a while, the just took in the silence which was nice after the loudness of the great hall. The silences between them were no longer awkward anymore since they were good friends now. The silences had become quite comfortable now since they were comfortable with each other and they knew that if one of them had something to say to the other then they would say it. Finally the desire to talk to her became too great and Edmund gave in.

"So, I guess you're leaving in a few days," Edmund was wary about this subject since he knew it would be difficult for both of them since they had grown so close this summer.

"Yes, I suppose I am," Danika said, and then looked back at him with a cheeky smile "But don't worry you won't be getting rid of me that easily, I'm sure I will come back soon." Edmund gave a small laugh and turned to look at her. He thought she looked beautiful that evening, she had always been beautiful to him.

"I'm glad." Edmund replied. He couldn't help but notice how close she was sitting to him, their faces were only inches apart. She was staring at him, her eyes were sparkling and she seemed to be moving closer. If he were to lean forward just a little more…

A loud bang followed by cheering interrupted the moment. The couple jumped apart and looked up into the sky to see that the fireworks had begun. Edmund was in a slight state of shock at what had just happened. He had never been that close to a girl before. Perhaps Susan had been right. Perhaps he was growing up after all, and he had to admit, he didn't mind very much at all.

Danika's heart seemed to be trying to jump out of her chest. Had she just nearly kissed the Just King of Narnia? Why had that happened? She and Edmund had been quite close for most of the summer but she had never thought of him in that way. She decided it would be best to avoid the situation by diverting his attention. In fact there was something about him that had her curious.

"Edmund, can I ask you something?"

"Well, you have been asking me questions all summer, why stop now?" He said jokingly. Edmund realised that he tended to use humour as a defense mechanism to stop awkward situations.

"Well there is something I have been wondering. About the first time you came to Narnia," Edmund had a good idea about where this conversation was going now and he quickly became uncomfortable, but she continued, "Well, my father told me the stories about the White Witch and, well, I was just wondering how you became…"

"A traitor?" Edmund finished in a harsh tone. This was a touchy subject for him and they had nearly gone the whole summer without bringing it up. He knew she must no about it. Everyone knew, but he'd rather that no one talked about it.

"I was going to ask how you became involved with her, actually." Danika replied in a quieter voice now. She was somewhat disturbed by his tone. She didn't realise that he would be so uncomfortable about this, after all everyone knew it wasn't really his fault, he was tricked.

"So you want to know why I deserted my family and betrayed them for _her_." _I should have realised that she would be just like most of the other monarchs and only see me for the one biggest mistake I made in the past. She probably spent all summer trying to get close to me so she could get the inside scoop and tell all her friends_, Edmund thought to himself. During their first rein, he had spent years gaining the trust of the other monarchs, he hadn't realised that the aftershock of his mistake would last so long. To some people, he was still regarded as a traitor.

"No, Edmund, I didn't mean to -" Edmund rose quickly from the bench and began to walk back towards the castle, away from her.

"Why don't you go and ask one of your friends about it. I'm sure they would be only too happy to give you the full story." He almost shouted back at her. Danika was left in a state of shock. She would never have imagined that her mild curiosity would invoke such a reaction from him. She followed his lead and made her way slowly back to the castle.

Once she got inside, she no longer had the desire to rejoin the party, Edmund would probably be in there. Perhaps it would be best if she left him alone for a while. Suddenly realizing how tired she was, she made her way up to her chambers where she changed into her nightdress. Then she climbed into her bed and blew out the candle, thinking to herself that her friendship with Edmund would probably be salvageable in the morning.

Danika didn't realise how wrong she would be. The next morning at breakfast, Edmund was more hostile than ever towards her. He didn't even look at her when she entered the room, nor even when she sat down beside him. His morose attitude towards her continued for the last few days of their time together. He didn't so much as acknowledge her. Danika was somewhat heartbroken.

Fortunately for her, she had been able to spend most of her time with Lucy. The youngest Queen was so full of life and enthusiasm and she managed to keep Danika occupied for the last few days. Danika even told her what had happened, but Lucy just shrugged it off, saying that Edmund often reacted this way when people brought up that particular subject of his past, and that he would get over it soon enough.

Eventually, the summer was over and it was time for Danika and Hashim to leave. They were once again standing outside in the courtyard with the monarch of Narnia saying their goodbyes, which were somewhat tearful on the girls' parts.

"You will come back to visit us soon, won't you?" Lucy enquired of her new friend.

"I'm sure that King Hashim and Princess Danika will consent to staying with us again next summer, won't you?" Peter asked.

"We would be honored, King Peter," Hashim replied, "wouldn't we Danika." T wasn't really a question, and as much as Danika loved Narnia, she didn't think she could bear to be here with Edmund acting the way he was towards her.

"Of course, that would be wonderful." Danika replied with a slightly forced smile.

"Where is Edmund?" Enquired Susan, "Shouldn't he be down here saying his goodbyes? He can be so rude sometimes?" Caspian chuckled and put his arm around his beloved seeing how easily she was annoyed by her brother's misconduct.

"Don't worry my love, he isn't feeling well. He asked he to send his apologies, King Hashim, and he wished you a safe journey home." Caspian explained.

"Oh well, give the young King my regards, and tell him we hope he feels well soon." Hashim replied with a warm smile. _Speak for yourself,_ Danika thought to herself. She thought that Edmund deserved everything he got after the way he acted. Although, she was quite upset to be leaving without a proper goodbye from him.

Meanwhile, Edmund was in his chambers led on his bed. He was feigning illness to get out of having to see Danika. Part of the reason was the fact that he was still angry with her. And part of the reason was that he didn't think he could bear to say goodbye to her. Despite their argument, he still cared deeply for her and it would hurt to see her leave, even if he knew it wasn't for good.

Edmund had had a lot of free time, which would usually be spent with Danika, to think about what had happened between them. He realised that perhaps he had overreacted, but she shouldn't have brought up the subject. However, he also realised that she couldn't have known how much that particular subject hurt him, no one did.

Edmund now realised that he had been a fool and he should go and apologise to her. With a start he realised that she would be getting ready to leave, if she hadn't already. He jumped off his bed and sprinted out of his chamber to hers. When he found it empty he realised they would be down at their carriage getting ready to go. He ran off again down to the courtyard. He had to tell her he was sorry before he left.

When he reached the courtyard he was horrified to see his family waving at the departed carriage that was quickly becoming a speck on the horizon. He would never catch it now, it was too late. Edmund felt a lump form in his throat. He was surprisingly upset that he hadn't got a chance to say goodbye to her, but at the same time he was angry with her for leaving so willingly without wanting to say goodbye to him. Perhaps she wouldn't have been worth it and his first instincts about her were right after all. She was just like all the others.

Danika was leaning out of the carriage window trying to get a last glimpse of Cair Paravel before it disappeared over the horizon. She didn't know what she was expecting to see. Perhaps a very sorry-looking Edmund, running out of the castle, chasing the carriage whilst bellowing that he was sorry. She might have been inclined to forgive him then. Sadly she knew this would never happen and this probably meant that whatever relationship had been forged between them over the past few months was now lost, perhaps for good.

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I'm quite pleased with this chapter, I think it's my favourite one yet. Although I'm not sure about the argument, I don't think it was strong enough, but I couldn't think of anything else that would make Edmund so emotional, but I suppose it will do :) Don't forget to review and tell me what you think.

**Only four more exams to go and then I will probably be able to devote all my time to finishing this story and the updates will definitely be quicker. I am going to finish it, I promise, because I already have the whole story planned out and I am already considering a sequel…that is if people want me to :)**

**Thanks for reading x x x**


	6. Chapter Five A Royal Wedding

Chapter Five ~ A Royal Wedding

Ten months had passed since Danika had left Narnia. Now, at fifteen, she had decided that it was time for her to grow up so she had become decidedly more mature. Over the past few months she had thrown herself into her studies and the politics of her country. She realised that she was the only heir to the throne of Archenland and if she were to one day be crowned then she wanted to be prepared.

Danika had missed Narnia but had tried not to think about it too much, and she had especially tried not to think about a certain Just King after the way he had acted towards her during her last stay. She had been in contact with all the other monarchs of Narnia since her departure, except him. Lucy had kept her informed of all the castle antics and she had received some particularly exciting news from Susan. Caspian had proposed to her and they were to be married on the 26th of July. Danika had been overjoyed and even more overjoyed when Susan had asked her to be a bridesmaid. She had accepted immediately of course and she knew that it would be a celebration to remember.

Eventually summer had arrived and Danika and her father found themselves fulfilling their promise to King Peter, they were traveling to spend another summer with the Kings and Queens in Narnia. Danika had put up a fight about not wanting to go but eventually her fondness for the country and _most_ of the monarchs won and she had found herself being bundled into a carriage and leaving the country with her father silently cursing her stubbornness all the way.

A few days later, they arrived in Narnia once again and Danika found herself staring at Cair Paravel, the beautiful home of the Narnian Kings and Queens. As they entered the castle courtyard, they could see the procession of people that had gathered to greet them and right at the front stood the Kings and Queens, all with big welcoming smiles on heir faces, well all except one, but then Danika had expected no less of him.

As the carriage door was opened and she was helped out by one of the guards, something hurtled towards her and collided with her chest knocking the wind out of her. She looked down to see that it was none other than the youngest Queen of Narnia and her best friend, Lucy.

"Danika! I've missed you so much! It hasn't been the same around here since you left! Susan has been so busy planning the wedding and I've had no one to keep me company but now I do!" Lucy rambled. Danika laughed at her friend's enthusiasm.

"I missed you too Lucy," Danika gave her a hug and Lucy released her and lead her over to the others where she was practically lifted off her feet by Caspian. The people around them seemed amused by the high Kings antics, but Danika and Caspian had grown close last summer and she had come to think of his as the older brother she never had.

"You've grown!" He said mockingly as he set her back on her feet, "You are almost up to my shoulders now!" He said with a laugh. Her height had been the source of much teasing from him.

"Yeah, yeah," Danika waved it off with a laugh as she went to hug Peter who had just finished greeting her father.

"It's good to see you, Danika," Peter said as they broke apart, "Caspian is actually right you know. You have grown." She gave him a small laugh.

"Thanks Peter. It's good to see you too." Danika turned to look at Susan who enveloped her in a motherly hug which she gladly returned.

"I'm so glad you're here! There is so much to do for the wedding! We have to get you measured for your dress as soon as possible and I'm going to need your help with-" Danika decided it was time to stop her before she began hyperventilating, Danika loved Susan but she had a tendency to worry about things a little too much.

"Susan, don't worry. I'm here to help you with anything you need, everything will be fine, alright?" Susan seemed to calm down but she still looked agitated

"Alright then. But I do want to do your dress fitting today if that's possible." Susan gave her a weak smile and Danika couldn't help but laugh. Caspian came to her rescue and put his arm around his fiancée.

"Calm down my love. Danika only just got here and there is plenty of time" Susan blushed and looked visibly calmer as Caspian kissed the side of her head. Danika decided it was time to leave them alone. She looked around, Lucy was now greeting her father and Peter had gone over to the guards to arrange their belongings being taken to their rooms. That left only one person.

Danika slowly turned around to look at him. He had definitely changed over the past year. He looked much more grown up and Danika could tell that he was starting to fill out, he wasn't as gangly as she remembered. She put on her most sickly sweet smile, just like when she first met him, and walked up to him with her head held high.

"Hello Edmund" she said with as much courtesy as she could muster. He studied her for a moment with an expression that she couldn't read on his face, and then he extended a hand to her.

"Hello Danika" Edmund replied in exactly the same tone. A handshake! That's worse than when we first met! Danika thought angrily to herself. She distinctly remembered him kissing her hand, albeit reluctantly, but it was still a kiss. She quickly shook the memory from her mind.

Edmund didn't really know what to do. This was so strange, never before had he been at such a loss. He couldn't believe that he had just offered her a handshake. He mentally slapped himself. Where had that come from? Why didn't he hug her like everyone else? Then perhaps they could have forgotten about what happened last summer and moved on. Unfortunately, it seemed that fate had other plans for them. Danika was now being lead into the castle by the girls and he followed them walking beside Caspian.

Edmunds eyes followed her as she walked through the castle. She had definitely grown up over the past year. Her face had lost some of its roundness and she carried herself differently, with more confidence. Edmund found his eyes travelling lower, where he could see the curves of her body beginning to develop under her dress. He quickly shook his head to get rid of those thoughts and Caspian gave him a strange look. It was going to be a very long summer.

As Edmund predicted, the weeks did pass agonisingly slowly. Danika kept her distance from him and if he didn't know better he could have sworn that she was doing it on purpose. Thankfully the castle was thrumming with the atmosphere of the looming wedding so there were plenty of preparations to keep him busy. The entire castle was busy and no one had much free time, especially the Kings and Queens. Edmund found that Danika spent most of her time with Lucy. They had become very close and nowadays one was rarely seen without the other. Once or twice when Edmund wasn't being forced into food sampling or having his wedding suit fitted, he tried to find Danika to see if they could talk but she was always spending time with Lucy or one of his other siblings or busy doing something for the wedding. It bothered him immensely that the only person she hadn't spent time with over the past few weeks was him.

Danika thought her plan was working. She and Lucy had come up with an idea to get her and Edmund talking again. Lucy suggested that if Edmund could realise how much he missed their friendship then maybe he would apoligise and they could put it all behind them. This plan seemed to be working because every time Danika saw Edmund he seemed morose. She couldn't think of anything else that would cause him to look like that, except perhaps all the wedding planning but that was becoming irksome for everyone. If she was honest, Danika hated seeing him like this. She wished they both didn't have to be so stubborn and petty and she also hoped that he wanted to rekindle their friendship as much as she did.

Eventually, after Danika and her father had been in Narnia for a little over three weeks, the day of Caspian and Susan's wedding arrived. The planning process had been long and strenuous, mostly due to Susan being a perfectionist, and even though it was going to be a beautiful wedding and everyone was looking forward to it, they were also glad that it was almost over. Danika had just finished getting ready and she was rather pleased with they way she looked in her beautiful gold bridesmaids dress. She took one last look in the mirror and hurried out the door to Susan's chambers. On the way there she ran into Lucy who was wearing the same bridesmaids dress, but hers was in silver.

"Nice dress!" Lucy complimented Danika with a smile, Danika laughed.

"Right back at you!" the two girls giggled all the way to Susan's chambers which helped to ease their nerves somewhat.

When they opened the door both of them gasped in awe. Susan was stood in the middle of the room in front of a long mirror in the most beautiful dress they had ever seen. It had a lacy bodice and long hanging sleeves and a flowing skirt made of a floaty material that almost looked like liquid. The veil was also made of lace and trailed elegantly on the floor behind Susan. Danika was speechless. She looked over at Lucy who had tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Su! You look beautiful, I'm so happy for you!" Lucy rushed over to hug her sister, being very careful of her lovely dress.

"Thank you Lucy, you look beautiful too. You both do." Susan smiled looking over at Danika. Danika smiled at Susan, still unable to speak, partly because she couldn't find the word to tell Susan how beautiful she looked and partly because the nerves were beginning to kick in. She was going to have to walk into a room full of people on her own with all eyes on her. She may have matured a lot in the last year but she still wasn't comfortable in that situation and she probably never would be. Anyway, that didn't matter because this was Susan and Caspian's day and she would do anything they asked of her, Danika thought as she and Lucy began straightening out the back of Susan's dress as she looked on nervously. It was nearly time.

Meanwhile, in Caspian's chambers the boys weren't faring much better on the nervousness scale. Peter had been walking up and down the room for a while now. Caspian and Edmund had tried to play cards but kept getting distracted by his incessant pacing.

"Peter! Will you please stand still, you're beginning to make me nervous and the last time I checked, I was the one getting married!" Caspian practically yelled at Peter as Edmund sniggered in the background. Peter ceased his pacing and flopped down into a chair next to Edmund whilst glaring at him.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm so nervous, I guess I just want everything to go smoothly, for Susan's sake." Peter ran his fingers through his sandy hair and gave a frustrated sigh. Caspian smiled and clapped Peter on the shoulder reassuringly. Over the past year or so, the two of them had developed an understanding. Their power struggle was over since Caspian was now the High King but that didn't stop the petty arguments that still occurred albeit less and less frequently. Even though they were not yet the best of friends, they now had an unspoken mutual understanding that they were a team.

Peter continued to watch as Caspian and Edmund finished their card game and occasionally joined in with their harmless banter. As time ticked on, Caspian found himself becoming nervous, his leg would involuntarily twitch every now and then. He was excited of course, he loved Susan more than he had ever loved anyone and he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with her, but it was an important day, not just for them, but for the whole of Narnia and he, like Peter, wanted everything to go perfectly. Eventually, there was a knock at the door and Trufflehunter entered.

"It's time to go your majesties." He announced with a smile. The three kings put on their wedding jackets and wished each other good luck as they made their way down to the Castle ground where the ceremony would be held. Once they arrived, all the guests were already seated so Edmund made his way down the aisle, since he was the best man, followed by Caspian and the two of them stood side by side in front of Aslan who was stood proudly at the alter waiting to marry the two monarchs.

Peter waited dutifully in the courtyard since he was to walk Susan down the aisle. Eventually the three girls arrived and Peter was momentarily stunned by how beautiful his little sister was. It was an emotional moment but Trufflehunter hurried them outside before any tears could be shed, there would be plenty of time for that later.

The grounds were decorated with many white rose bushes and right in the middle hundreds of chairs were lined up around the white aisle which lead to a carved wooden altar which was draped in gold silk and adorned with more white roses. It was beautiful but the best part of all was Aslan sat serenely upon the altar waiting to perform the ceremony.

Lucy was the first since she was the youngest. She practically danced down the aisle much to the endearment of the assembled guests, the youngest Queen always loved being the centre of attention. Danika was next. She tried to focus on her destination rather than on the hundreds of eyes on her, but that wasn't much help either. Edmund was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Danika couldn't miss the fact that he looked quite nice in his wedding suit. She held his gaze for a few seconds and then lowered her eyes until she reached the altar and took her place beside Lucy.

Edmund was hit with a wave of emotions when he saw Danika walking down the aisle. She looked very beautiful and it reminded him of the night their friendship was ruined. He was frustrated with his own stubbornness and hers and he had been very irritable over the past few weeks. True they still didn't know each other all that well but he had missed her company over the past year, and having her here again but not being able to spend time with her or even talk to her, upset him more than he would even admit to anyone.

Edmunds thoughts were cut short when Susan and Peter began their decent down the aisle. A second happier wave of emotions washed over him when he watched his big sister as she and Caspian locked eyes. Her face was glowing and her eyes were sparkling with happiness as she looked at her soon to be husband. Edmund glanced up at Caspian only to see him beaming with joy at his bride. Edmund would never say this aloud to anyone but he secretly hoped to find someone to love that much one day.

When they approached the altar Peter gave Susan's hand to Caspian, swiftly kissed Susan on the cheek and moved to stand beside Edmund as the guests sat back in their seats. When the Great Hall was silent again Aslan stepped forward to stand before the bride and the groom.

"Welcome to all," the great lion began in his booming yet calming voice, "we are gathered here to celebrate this most joyous day, the union of High King Caspian the tenth and Queen Susan the gentle. Aslan smiled down upon the couple and they stepped forwards and knelt before him.

"Marriage is not a ritual, a beginning or an end. It is a long, intricate, intimate dance together in which nothing matters more than your choice of partner and how you work together. You have decided to spend your lives together bonded in matrimony. To seal this bond you must now recite your vows." The couple stood and turned to face each other. Caspian took Susan's hands in his and began to speak.

"I High King Caspian the Tenth of Narnia, take you Queen Susan the Gentle of Narnia, to be my constant, my friend and my love from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live." Danika had to pass a tissue to Lucy who was weeping with happiness. Susan's eyes were filled with tears of joy as she began to recite her vows.

"I Queen Susan the Gentle of Narnia, take you High King Caspian the Tenth of Narnia, to be my constant, my friend and my love from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live." Now it was Caspian's turn to be tearful but the whole procession turned to look at Peter who let out an involuntary but fairly loud sob at his sisters vows. Edmund shook his head in embarrassment even though he was looking slightly misty eyed himself. Danika couldn't help but giggle slightly at his reaction.

Aslan swiftly moved the ceremony along, kindly ignoring Peter's slight emotional outburst. The rings were brought forward by Edmund and Lucy, and Caspian and Susan placed them on each others fingers with Aslan's approval.

"There is only one great happiness in life, and that is to love and to be loved in return. Now that you have taken each other, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife. Caspian, you may kiss your bride." Caspian smiled sheepishly at Aslan the moved forwards to take Susan into his arms and place a tender kiss on her lips. The guests were on their feet again, but this time they were applauding. Danika, Lucy and Peter were stood around the newlyweds, who were still lost in each other, trying to applaud whilst wiping tears from their eyes. Edmund was shaking his head disapprovingly at his family but he was secretly thrilled for Susan and Caspian.

Eventually the wedding procession moved into the great hall which was decorated to match the ceremony. A feast was being held for lunch so the bride and groom, the Pevensie's, Danika and Hashim took their places on the top table and the rest of the guests filled in behind them and took their seats. After the main course, speeches were given by Peter, then a shorter one by Edmund and then a much longer one by Caspian. After the meal was finished the guests retired to freshen up for the evenings activities when a grand ball was to be held to continue the celebrations.

Danika returned with Lucy to her chambers where the two young royals spent a couple of hours re-doing each others hair and gossiping about the ceremony and the wedding guests. Danika didn't have any real female friends in Archenland so it was nice to come to Narnia and have Lucy, and of course Susan, to do girly things with. People came and went from Lucy's room, including Susan who stopped by to give them both a hug and show them her ring whilst Caspian was busy with some important guests. Peter and Hashim came by to check up on them and even Edmund stopped by to visit Lucy, but his visit was cut short when he realised Danika was with her. Danika decided she wouldn't let Edmunds childish behaviour get to her, not today.

When it was time, Lucy and Danika made their way down to the great hall where the celebrations were already in full swing. After Caspian and Susan's grand entrance they were bombarded with guests and presents and any free time they had was spent slow dancing with each other, even if it was a fast song. Peter and her father were of course busy conversing with other monarchs, Lucy had already abandoned her for her faun friends and Edmund was nowhere to be seen, not that she would have willingly chosen to spend time with him anyway.

Danika was unpleasantly reminded of her last Narnian ball when she was asked to dance several times in a row. She regretted her earlier decision of not going to find Edmund since she whished he was here now to save her as he had done last time. Danika mentally shook herself, she shouldn't be thinking about Edmund like that. Later in the evening she managed to escape so she hid out in the grounds for a while to give herself chance to recover and get her head together again.

As the evening went on the merriment increased. There was a spectacular firework display in the grounds and the guests were becoming more and more intoxicated as the evening went on and of course the people setting the standard for the guests in this department were none other than the three kings themselves. They had drank an impressive amount between them and were currently standing around the drinks table singing an old Narnian folk song, albeit rather badly, whilst trying to hold each other up, much to the amusement of the guests around them.

Susan and Lucy decided they had had enough to drink so they went over to stop them. Peter was beyond help at this point so the Queens left him in his current position which was lead on the floor halfway under the drinks table so all that was visible were his legs sticking out from under the tablecloth. Caspian and Edmund were too preoccupied pouring each other more drinks to notice where Peter had gotten to. Susan took Caspian by the hand and tried to distract him by dancing with him again. Currently she had to hold him up slightly but she was confident he would be fine in a couple of hours and she was glad he was bonding with her brothers even if it wasn't in the healthiest of ways.

Meanwhile Lucy had led Edmund out onto the balcony where she sat him down and forced him to drink some water. After a while he seemed to calm down, or he had stopped singing at least.

"Thanks, Lu. I feel a bit better now." Edmund sighed as he leant back into the bench they were sat on.

"Anytime." Lucy responded. There was a short comfortable silence between the two but Lucy felt the uncontrollable urge to talk to her brother about something that had been weighing on her mind a lot recently. "Ed, why don't you like Danika anymore? You two got along splendidly last summer." Edmund was shocked to say the least at her question but the answer immediately came to his mind.

"It's not that I don't like her, Lu. It's just that we had a fight." It never even occurred to him to lie to his little sister, she was difficult to say no to. Besides he was sure Danika had told her everything anyway.

"About what?" Perhaps Danika hadn't told Lucy everything. It comforted Edmund to know this.

"I…I don't remember." Edmund was momentarily stumped as he tried to remember their argument.

"But if you don't even remember what you fought about then surely…" Lucy was cut off by Edmund.

"Look Lucy, I don't know what you want me to do but this doesn't really have anything to do with you so just stay out of it! Yes we had a fight and yes we are no longer friends and I don't know why so yes I miss her, ok?" Lucy was somewhat shocked by his outburst but a smile spread over her face when she realised what he had said. Realisation dawned on Edmunds face when he also realised what he had said. There was no tasking it back now, and besides, it was the truth.

"If you ever tell anyone I said that…" this time Edmund was cut off by Lucy.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Lucy gave him a wide smile and then she jumped off the bench and ran back into the hall leaving Edmund bemused and heavily regretting what he had told her. He was sure that was going to come back to haunt him.

Meanwhile, Lucy had been running around to try to find Danika. When she couldn't see her in the hall she ran out to the grounds and began shouting her name. Danika was sat on a bench that was well hidden by a couple of rose bushes when she heard Lucy urgently calling her. She jumped up and ran towards her voice.

"Lucy? What is it? What's wrong?" she panicked as she reached her friend.

"Nothing's wrong, everything is wonderful! I've just been talking to Edmund and he told me he misses you!" Lucy decided there was no point prolonging this any longer so she got straight to the point. She felt a bit bad betraying her brothers trust but it was for his own good. Danika stood there with wide eyes looking at Lucy thinking she may have misheard her.

"Excuse me?"

"Edmund misses you and I know you miss him so will you please just go in there and sort this out?" Lucy didn't wait for a response before she started pulling her back towards the great hall. Danika didn't put up any resistance, she was too busy trying to control all the thoughts that were flying around in her head. Edmund didn't hate her? He missed her? Then what had they been doing all summer? Before she could think anymore they were back in the great hall and Lucy pushed her in the direction of her brother. She thought she heard her friend say good luck as her feet began to subconsciously carry her towards Edmund, but she was too distracted to hear her properly. What should she say? How would he react?

Meanwhile, Edmund was blissfully unaware that Danika was walking towards him. They had just cut the cake and he had received a rather large slice which he was quite happy about. Peter made a comment about his eyes being too big for his belly and Edmund was so busy trying to think of a good comeback that he didn't notice the large puddle of wine that had been left by the kings during their earlier antics at the drinks table. Edmund slipped on the puddle, his feet flew out from underneath him and his cake flew up into the air. Edmund managed to stand back up quick enough to hear the gasps of the crowd and when he turned around to see what had happened to his cake he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat. Standing before him with her hair, face and most of her dress covered in double chocolate cake with an extra helping of cream, was Danika.

This is not happening. This is like those dreams where you go out in public and then you realise you're in nothing but your underwear. I'll wake up in a minute, Danika thought to herself, but unfortunately for her, it was happening. How could he do that to me? Tears began to spring to her eyes as she realised the whole room was looking at her. She had never been so embarrassed in her whole life.

Edmund didn't know what to say. He was mortified. It had been a complete accident obviously and she had to realise that. He knew how much she hated situations like this and she must be feeling horrible. Edmund felt his stomach lurch with uncontrollable guilt when he saw tears in her eyes as the crowd started whispering.

"Danika…I…I…" but he was speechless and before he could get anything out she turned on her heel and she was gone. He considered running after her but he was fairly sure that he was the last person she wanted to see right now. How did he manage to do this? He had just made everything ten times worse than it already was. He could only think of one other time in his life when he had felt lower than this.

Tears were streaming down Danika's face as she ran to her chambers as fast as her legs would carry her. When she got there she quickly stripped of her dress and began to wash the offending cake off her face and hair. When she was clean the tears were still falling. She quickly put on a nightdress, climbed into bed and hid under the covers. She had never been so embarrassed and angry before. Why did he do that to her? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Danika?" It was her father. "Are you alright? Can I come in?" Danika didn't trust herself to speak so she kept quiet. Eventually her father went away. Danika felt guilty but she decided she would apoligise to him in the morning. Right now all she wanted was to hide in her bed and pretend that the last hour hadn't happened and that she was anywhere but here.

**I apoligise for the appalling wait. I have no excuses except exams and life in general. However, my exams have finished now so I have lots more free time to dedicate to this story. I will try to post a chapter a week, hopefully more but don't quote me on that cos my plans for the summer aren't set in stone yet. I give you my solemn vow that I will however, finish this story because I have it all planned out and I am really enjoying writing it and hopefully you are too **

**On a brighter note… how about that Dawn Treader trailer? I am very excited! It inspired me to finish this chapter. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, do you think it looks good?**

**Reviews make me very happy **** Next chapter up very soon **** xxx**


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